NEW HEARING SET FOR 'SAFETY ZONE' MEASURE

An EMS worker wears a bulletproof vest to respond to a call at Clifton Hills Elementary School in April after a wave of gang violence. An EMS worker wears a bulletproof vest to... Photo by Doug Strickland /Times Free Press. Another hearing to determine whether to enact a "safety zone" to deter gang activity in East Lake is set for Oct. 31 at 10:30 a.m. If approved, the move by District Attorney General Neal Pinkston would levy a $50 fine and 30 days of jail time for any targeted man who violates 11 listed activities, most of which are already illegal, Pinkston said. Those activities include owning graffiti equipment, drinking alcohol, possessing guns and drugs, signaling the arrival of police, and hanging out with other accused gang members. Though Pinkston argues the "gang injunction" would give law enforcement another tool to make East Lake safer, defense attorneys counter that it would open the door to illegal police seizures and run afoul of people's First Amendment rights to association. "I understand Pinkston's desire to use every tool at his disposal to combat violent crime," said attorney Chrissy Mincy, who is representing several of the 31 men targeted by Pinkston's recently filed ...